Life in Stepping Stones

As we all are trying to figure out how to celebrate the holidays differently this year, is there any better way to celebrate Thanksgiving in quarantine than with ideas from the show that brought us the “I’m stuck here with you guys” Thanksgiving episode? I didn’t think so. In the very first season, everyone’s plans were ruined and they had no choice but to spend Thanksgiving at Monica’s with her five types of potatoes…and it all got burnt in the end when they locked themselves out of the apartment.

Without further ado, here are some ideas on how to make the most of your Thanksgiving at home with your family or quarantine buddies, Friends style:

1. Arts & Crafts

Turkey on a Frame

Channel your inner Phoebe and create your very own version of Gladys, turkey style. Print out this Cut and Paste Turkey I created and let your kids have some fun gluing it together! Afterwards, use a glue dot to attach an empty toilet paper roll to a frame. From there, put another glue dot on the roll, and stick the turkey to it! Not only is it cute, but your kid will love having their work displayed by the dinner table!

My son is the active type and doesn’t normally sit down for craft projects but I was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed doing this! He decided when he started that it was upside down day though…so if you’re wondering why that turkey in the picture above looks like it fell on its butt, now you know.

Thankful Tree

This isn’t Friends theme but it is still lots of fun! With my son out of school and missing out on the usual Thanksgiving projects, I also made a cut and paste Thankful Tree. After he was done gluing together his Thankful Tree, I asked him what he was thankful for and filled it in for him. My personal favorite was his very first suggestion, “tickling Mommy’s toes.”

2. Skip the Turkey

Season 1: The One Where Underdog Gets Away

You heard me. If you don’t have enough people to eat a turkey, and you don’t have Joey’s Thanksgiving pants, opt out of the usual turkey and trade it in for some grilled cheese…or grilled turkey sandwiches. You can even split the sandwich with your buddy and make a wish.

3. Make Some Mockolate

Season 2: The One With the List

Okay. Maybe avoid the “mock” part and definitely avoid the cat hair…but you can still whip out some melting chocolate and make your own candies together with these adorable Thanksgiving Chocolate Leaf and Pumpkin Molds! Or make yourself some hot chocolate and throw in some marshmallows!

4. Play Sports & Craft a Family Trophy

Season 3: The One With the Football

Pull out the football and head into the backyard or to your local park for a fun game, shoot some hoops if you own a basketball hoop, or set up a start and finish line and race back and forth…or just let your kids do the racing while you watch! If you’re really feeling crafty, grab a troll doll, some blocks of wood, and make the Geller Cup. Even better, branch out from the Friends theme and just grab some arts and crafts and let your kids create a Thanksgiving Day football trophy!

5. Share Your Worst Thanksgiving Stories

Season 5: The One With All the Thanksgivings

Lets face it, we all have them. From the time when the dessert was burnt or the Turkey just never finished cooking, I’m sure you’ve got something to reminisce about!

I still remember the year our friends came over and nothing finished cooking. We were playing Apples to Apples and by 8pm, we were so hungry we were about ready to eat the cards. My mom had spent hours bragging about her amazing mashed potatoes and we were all so excited after the build up…but by the time the turkey finished cooking, the mashed potatoes were overcooked and just plain awful. Potatoes are ruined, potatoes are ruined, potatoes are ruined.

6. Make Rachel’s Trifle

Season 6: The One Where Ross Got High

Okay, you can either go all in and make it with actual beef and peas (I highly recommend not doing that, but to each their own…I mean, how bored are we this year?!) or you can use green M&Ms and other green candy for peas, chocolate cookies for beef, and coconut for onions. Check out the full recipe from Food Network.

7. List All 50 States

Season 7: The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs

It drove Ross crazy and he had Nevada twice, but this game is a fun way to pass the time with the family! Sit down, set the timer, and try to list as many states as you can! Frankly, after watching the election, you should not only know all of the states, but be able to name half the counties in these states too. If listing them seems too challenging, print out a blank map and see if that helps!

8. Napkin Folds

Channel your inner Monica with some napkin folds. I personally had a lot of fun learning how to fold a leaf a few years back. It wasn’t too complicated and was one of my very first attempts at napkin folding for the holidays!

If you’re really feeling ambitious though and you’ve successfully done napkin folds in the past, try out this Turkey Napkin Fold.

9. Friends Thanksgiving Day Marathon

Okay, truth be told, I do this one every year already. If you can’t be with your real friends this year, at least you can be with your TV ones! There’s always a marathon on TBS and what is Thanksgiving without Rachel and the trifle. In case you’re watching from HBO Max or pulling out the DVDs, here’s your guide to Friend’s Thanksgiving episodes:

Season One – The One Where Underdog Gets Away
Season Two – The One With the List
Season Three – The One with the Football
Season Four – The One With Chandler in a Box
Season Five – The One With All the Thanksgivings
Season Six – The One Where Ross Got High
Season Seven – The One Where Chandler Doesn’t Like Dogs
Season Eight – The One With the Rumor
Season Nine – The One With Rachel’s Other Sister
Season Ten – The One With the Late Thanksgiving